Institute of Contemporary Arts

The Experiment: May 2009

The word constrast has many definitions of meaning, and so here at the pod for this month we are showcasing a wide range of 'contrasting styles in experimental music'.

There is a world of genres and styles in producing 'frontier' music and new sounds - it's just that most people that are 'in the business' seem to think music is a tool to paste wallpaper sounds across the general public's ears... but of course here at the pod we think differently. In fact we like to unplug people's ears and fill them with spectrums of excitement.

So here are a few definitions of the word 'contrast':

1. The act of contrasting, or the state of being contrasted; comparison by contrariety of qualities.

2. Opposition or dissimilitude of things or qualities; unlikeness, esp. as shown by juxtaposition or comparison

3. To set in opposition, or over against, in order to show the differences between, or the comparative excellences and defects of, to compare by difference or contrarieties of qualities; as, to contrast the present with the past.

In some way contrasting is all we have got - contrasting and making lists - I don't know which one is more popular, but there seems to be a lot of it out there. Inbetween all this contrasting we would like to offer some serious content.

First up on our contrasting podcast we have the spiralling surreal acappella sounds of Matthew Paolo, who in his own words presses the buttons here. He plays keys for The Americans and also sings, writes and plays guitar for The Drug Opera. One hella guy as you will soon find out, a cross between Bobby Conn and the weirdest seventies musical you have experienced.

Next we have a super record label hailing from the continually growing sacred music land of Brooklyn island - Little Fury Things is a Brooklyn-based label intent on making painfully eclectic music seem commonplace and purposeful. From this fantastical label we offer three separate artist/bands, starting with the unusually named Christian Science Minotaur - i have never met a Minotaur that was into Christian Science, but if I did I bet he would be carrying a fine selection of John Cage LPs topped-off with 20 Jazz Funk Greats. Also we have artists Realax, another brillant examples of Brooklyn's current love of warm analogue slow-melt down drone. Finally we have a Seattle-based outfit going by the name of Universal Studios Florida - top class label/top class artists.

Dominic Lash is improvisational musician whose main instrument is the contra-bass. Dominic likes to push his playing and 'extended techinque' to breaking point; heavily influenced by the late great 'Dalston East London improviser' Derek Bailey, Dominic is like a possessed demon with a flaming bow whilst in the full flow of performing. We are showcasing two very recent live improvised pieces: the first is from his home town of Oxford which is a very interesting piece with improvisers David Stent on guitar and THF drenching who plays a mean dictaphone! The second piece comes from a recording at Cafe Oto in Dalston. Perhaps you will be able to visualize the flames rising from Dominic's bow!

Next we have Cold Cave - a special new act coming from Philadelphia, PA. Think a twisted dark version of The Human League, with more in the red distortion and low fi-ness - beautiful stuff - and after they play this years No Fun festival (NYC's noise/experimental music festival) they will be playing a series of gigs in London: not to be missed.

More lush heavenly voices come from the London based duo Knut + Linn - a experimental version of Galaxie 500 or a Willem de Kooning watercolour - you take your pick - it's probably a mix of the both.

Lastly we have the strange world of Dan Wilson and his outfit Meadow House. friends with the Resonance FM crew, Dan has probably been absorbing too much surrealist literature over the years, and it has well and truly come through in his slanted oddball antics and sounds from circuit bending with live worms to playing broken guitars - expect a catalogue of the wondrous.

 

The Experiment is a monthly podcast commissioned by the ICA and presented and produced by Kevin Quigley. This month's co-presenter is Christos Fanaras, aka Jack Shirt.

 

Keep Listening!

www.myspace.com/matthewpaolo
www.myspace.com/universalstudiosfloridaband
www.littlefurythings.net
www.myspace.com/xorsize
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadow_House
www.dominiclash.co.uk
www.myspace.com/coldcave
www.myspace.com/knutpluslinn
www.myspace.com/thfdrenching